The amazing thing is that the Muslim doctors in question appear incapable of appreciating the fundamental absurdity of placing their doctrinal beliefs above the common sense precautions of the hygienic routine. With a mindset like that, one has to ask why they ever bothered to go into the field of medicine in the first place. Would they rather that a patient died of infection because of their strict religious observance of some supposed prohibition against baring their arms below the elbow? It makes no sense whatsoever. Again: religion poisons… everything. In this case, quite literally.

No argument here. Seems to me, if you don't want seeing-eye dogs in your cab, do something else. Likewise for would-be doctors with dirty arms. Or pharmacists, for that matter, who don't want to dispense contraception.

How is this different from allowing pharmacists to decline to fill prescriptions for the morning after pill? Youse guys are cool with that.

You're joking, right? If a pharmacist refuses to perform their job of dispensing prescription items because it goes against their fundie beliefs ... then they shouldn't be fucking pharmacists. And I'd really like to see where anyone here said they were OK with that, seer.

Not youse guys here in CCland; you Canadians, as evidenced by all those links to the BT's.

I'm just saying, if I'm the kind of Canadian who wants to protect the immortal souls of pharmacists, I ought to be the kind of Canadian who's cool with the outside chance that unbared arms might carry a germ or two, once in a great while.